Unions commanded big headlines last year, but that didn’t translate into higher membership rates, according to government data released Tuesday.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said 10% of hourly and salaried workers were members of unions in 2023, or around 14.4 million people. That is an all-time low, down from 10.1% of workers in 2022.

The number of unionized workers in the private sector increased by 191,

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden’s membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country’s entry into the military alliance.

Lawmakers ratified Sweden’s accession protocol 287 to 55, with ruling party members saying the Nordic country’s tougher stance on Kurdish militants was key to winning approval. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also previously has linked the ratification to Turkey’s desire to buy fighter jets from the U.S.

The ratification comes into

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The pilot of a small plane was killed when it crashed at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, authorities said.

The Cirrus SR 22 took off from the airport Sunday afternoon, airport officials said in a statement. The pilot declared an emergency, and then crashed north of the airport’s cargo building, authorities said. The pilot was the only person on board.

Little Rock Police on Monday identified the pilot as William Cope, 62, the Arkansas Democrat-

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators have barred TurboTax maker from advertising its services as “free” unless they are free for all customers, or if eligibility is clearly disclosed.

In an opinion and final order issued Monday, the Federal Trade Commission ruled that Intuit engaged in deceptive practices by running ads claiming consumers could file their taxes for free using TurboTax though many people did not qualify for such free offerings.

“The character of the past violations is egregious,” reads the FTC commissioners’ opinion,

NARAHA, Japan (AP) — A drone almost the size of a slice of bread is Japan’s newest hope to get clearer footage of one of the reactors inside the where hundreds of tons of damaged fuel remain almost 13 years after the disaster.

A magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the power supply and cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt down. Massive amounts of fatally radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside to this day.

The plant’s operating company,

DAMASCUS (AP) — Syria’s foreign ministry in a statement Tuesday condemned recent presumed Jordanian airstrikes against suspected drug traffickers on Syrian territory, including that killed women and children.

In response, Jordan accused the Syrians of failing to take action to halt smuggling across the border.

The Syrian foreign ministry statement, its first to address the issue, “expressed its deep regret over the strikes directed by the Jordanian Air Force,” which it said had been justified “as being directed at elements involved in drug smuggling across the

Cue all the “did ‘Barbie’ direct itself” snark. But not being among the five best director nominees for is one of the biggest shocks in recent memory. Here are some other major “snubs” and “surprises” from Oscar nomination morning.

GRETA GERWIG SHUT OUT FOR DIRECTOR

If we knew anything going into Oscar nominations morning, it was that Gerwig was obviously going to be nominated for directing “Barbie.” It was that rarest of things, a (about a woman to boot) that became the

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Maldives government said Tuesday that it had given clearance to a Chinese ship to dock in its port, a move that could further irk India with whom the tiny archipelago nation is involved in a diplomatic spat.

The Maldives foreign ministry confirmed local media reports that research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 was headed to the Maldives. It didn’t give a date of arrival.

A ministry statement said that “a diplomatic request was made by the government of China to the government of Maldives